Observation Complex
by RavenPWN'sAll
Summary: Doomed to a nearly timeless pursuit of understanding human nature, he had thought they were worthless, then Brave Vesperia shattered his expectations. Perhaps humans needed 1 last chance, for the strongest bonds were forged through the fire of trials YxJ
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Vesperia

_Italic – "thought" or emphasis_

* * *

Combing through the nearly endless bank of memories, only to reach the same conclusion was a tiring proposition.

Especially since he had nothing to do but ponder and watch mankind scramble around in circles.

He watched as their leaders told the same lie as the one before him.

Marveled how they never let conflict go.

Intrigued how each generation fell into the same pitfalls as the one before them.

This was not progress, it was an endless cycle, nothing new on among the humans.

Perhaps, he thought, mankind had taken a turn for the better after the blastia crisis had been solved two years ago.

But on the contrary, it was a little guild and its affiliates who had solved that crisis. The majority of the humans had gotten in their way or done nothing.

Its aftermath would be the focal point of his observations, and therefore his decisions as well, he decided. Humanity needs a push in the right direction… or a shove may be a more appropriate term. And that guild was the best medium to do so.

Perhaps another of his "games" was in order; but if all else fails, a blank slate would be the next best thing.

* * *

A raven-haired swordsman slept as comfortably as he could, stowed away in a large, empty bookshelf. A paperback book served to prop up his head like a pillow. The orange tinted light of a lantern provided just enough luminescence to not be a disturbance to his slumber. A few stacked books in front of the shelf provided a partial cover of shadow to keep him somewhat hidden. His faithful companion, Repede, slept curled up a few feet away.

The genius mage of Aspio had called Brave Vesperia to the unveiling of her technological breakthrough to the world. Ever since blastia had ceased to be, Rita had dedicated herself to find an alternative way to access aer, or some form of energy, without having it provoke a similar consequence.

She and her team based their work on borrowing energy from spirits. "The energy would disperse into the world after being used and soon would return to the aer krenes. Once there the spirits could consume the same amount of the energy that was borrowed. For this to work humans need to be 100% efficient in using and returning the energy and there must always be spirits at the krenes to receive the energy, a rotation system would be the most logical plan for them. If humans could insert themselves into this cycle, they could use the spirit's energy without a repercussion other than limited usage," she explained in her letter. "Bodhi blastia were the first to be reproduced, but barriers are still extremely far off," she had added.

Naturally, the Union had sent a group of representatives from the five master guilds. In addition to them were the numerous guild members who had came out of curiosity.

As Yuri guessed, the Empire was all for preventing the Union from gaining a monopoly on these new blastia, even though all the high ranking members of both parties had them already. Rita had made the breakthrough a few months ago but the Union and the Empire made sure that all the higher-ups had gotten them before the public could. "It would be unwise to risk a criminal having this power before the authorities," was their reasoning.

Regardless, the Empire had sent an equally large group of knights and nobles for show, along with citizens equally as inquisitive as the guild members. Not all the tension had been dissolved between the two but it was as low as it has been.

This provided an easy excuse for Rita to invite everyone for a reunion. So far, Brave Vesperia was the first to arrive, thanks to Ba'ul's help. Raven would be here on behalf of Altosk in a day. The same could be said for the commandant and princess, but on the Empire's request.

Needless to say, Aspio was already crowded. In fact, it was impossible to walk down the street without brushing shoulders with a dozen or so people. So here Yuri waited half-asleep, in an out-of-the-way bookshelf in one of the largest libraries in the world. To say the least he was bored.

"It's a little early to sleep, don't you think?" a sweet voice laced with sarcasm asked. Yuri turned to face the source of the noise.

"I guess you can say that…" Yuri replied, pushing some of the books out of the way to address the Krityan. Truth be told, he has lost track of time. It was 5 in the afternoon last time he checked.

"What's with going off on your own, not good with large groups?" she asked, jumping onto the shelf above Yuri.

"It's crowded with stuffed-up people we don't know, mostly from the Empire," he replied turning to the opposite side. Judith lied down on the shelf and peered her head into the makeshift bed under her.

"Quite the socialite, aren't we?"

"…"

"You've got our guild members, why make yourself scarce?" she questioned.

"Boss can look after 'em, I'm sure his infectious enthusiasm will get 'em in no time," Yuri replied, waving her off.

"We should join them. I'd say they look up to you more than Karol."

"Then this would be a good bonding experience for them."

The Krityan huffed, "And here I was trying to reach out to you, so much for feedback."

"Hn"

"You're no fun," Judith pouted as she rolled onto her back to rest.

"Yep, I'm just a ray of sunshine aren't I?"

"That's one way to put it…"

Yuri didn't want to waste time trying to find another meaning to those words, if there was one. Hopefully when he woke up he could catch up with the others, figure out what they've been up to the past few months. The comforting silence slowly drew him into a light slumber.

Until the sound of fading footsteps awoke him; cracking open his eyes, he could see Judith saunter out of sight.

"_Another nighttime stroll? What time is it? Ugh, the others must be worried about me…"_ A thought struck Yuri.

"_Judy came to look for me though… The way I acted…"_ The swordsman rolled out of the shelf to follow suit but the unstable book stack which had hidden him had encased him in a pile. He shot up, shaking the books off of him.

"Repede, I'm going out for a walk," a sleepy grunt came from the dog.

"_Wait this is Judy I'm talking about."_ He told himself as he stretched. _"She's probably unfazed…"_ He jogged through the hallway of bookshelves before finding the door to the outside of the Aspio's wall, where Karol, Estelle, and himself had snuck in the first time they were here.

"Ready to go?" Someone asked as he opened the door. Outside, Judith waited, leaning against the wall.

"Expecting me?" Yuri asked, approaching the Krityan, closing the door behind him.

"You always joined me for my midnight excursions," she replied before they walked to the main gate of the city. A large crowd had gathered outside, going into two lines where the two exhausted guards endured the endless amount of passport to be checked.

"A bit stuffy, don't you think?" she asked.

"Well the city looks worse…" Yuri observed, raising his hand to his forehead, almost like he was looking out to sea.

"It would be kinda boring in an overcrowded cave anyway, considering Halure isn't _too_ far a walk from here," she trailed off. Yuri smirked at the "hint".

"I get it; we'll be there and back before the other's notice."

Judith sighed, "Well, they got a few hours head start on that."

Yuri waved it off, "Karol knows we can take care of ourselves, besides he's got his guild members to look after."

"And Rita?"

"She's probably booked for a while. I mean, all of this is for her work," he shrugged.

"You seem hell bent on getting me alone… you wouldn't try anything, would you?" she asked ever so innocently; folding her hands behind her back as she leaned forwards. They maintained eye contact but Judith could see Yuri was fighting his eyes from straying further down.

"I'd never," he replied, raising his right hand like he was taking an oath.

"Hmm…" Judith's fingers stroked her chin as if in thought, "Alright, let's go." She answered with a smile. With that, the two left the city.

* * *

The path before them was lit by the full moon. The heavenly body shined brightly in contrast to the emptiness of space, rivaled only by the star Brave Vesperia. Their "walk" remained wordless, enjoying the scenery.

"Sleep well?" Yuri asked, in attempt to break the silence.

"Yes, thanks for asking," Judith replied. The two walked, not speaking once again. Suddenly, Judith stopped and reached for her ear.

Yuri asked, "Something up?"

"We're just going to Halure very quickly, Ba'ul. Alright. Tell me if they realized we're gone. See you tomorrow."

"Ba'ul noticed, huh?"

She nodded.

"Well, cheer up, Judy, I hear Halure looks amazing this time of year," Yuri consoled her as they continued to walk towards the city.

"That's great," she replied, not looking at Yuri and walking off ahead.

"_Something's off,"_ Yuri concluded as he caught up to her. "_Let's see if I can't fix that along the way."_

"Judy, we're just a few minutes away from Aspio, and Halure is still some time away, right?"

"Yes"

"Why not call Ba'ul, we could get to Halure faster if you're worried they'll find out before we get back," he offered.

"Worried? I don't remember saying I was," she replied, folding her arms beneath her chest.

"I'm just saying is all…" the swordsman trailed off.

_"__What's bothering him?"_ Yuri scratched his head, and looked in the other direction, Judith noted.

"_He's acting strange. Hmm… let's try breaking that poker face,"_ she thought. Judith abruptly sat down on the spot she stood.

The swordsman turned around surprised, "Judy, what are you—"

"Come to think of it, we didn't eat before we left…" she mused.

"Well, what are you gonna do about it?" he asked with a shrug.

"What are _you_ going to do about it?" she replied with a knowing smile.

"Uh—"

"You brought the item bag, right?" she asked, a questioning look on her face.

"Always," he replied taking off a medium sized rucksack. Karol had made a few more almost-bottomless bags for the guild's use.

"Hmm… I'm in a Mabo Curry mood, right now," she explained. Yuri cringed but kept it from showing on his face. Many times their party had tried to make that dish. It'd be too sweet, too bland, too salty, too much of something that made it taste horrid. Even some of their better chefs had difficult make the dish just right. Yuri's Mabo Curry, however, was the best of them, and even considered a delicacy among the group.

"Huh… well good luck with tha—"

"Aww, but Yuri you're the only one whose curry tastes good. Can't you whip up a quick batch?" she sweetly asked.

The swordsman let out a sigh, "If you really gotta have your curry, I guess so," he replied, walking off to gather some firewood.

"That was a far too easy…" Judith said to no one in particular.

* * *

The two sat around the fire in a somewhat awkward silence, at least on Yuri's part. Judith was happily enjoying the spicy dish while the swordsman stared at the fire, occasionally taking a bite from his food. While there was a void of speech, the music of the nightlife eased the two. Yuri took in a deep breath, closing his eyes, letting the sound of the wood cracking in the fire, the crickets chirping in the background, and the wind rustling the miles of grass around them ring in his ear. The breeze chilled him, prodding him to inch a bit closer to the warmth of the fire. He couldn't help but wonder how Judith kept warm in her clothes.

"If you eat too slow it'll get cold, Yuri"

"Hn?" Yuri opened his eyes to see the Krityan looking curiously at him. "Oh yeah, right…" he replied, before taking another spoonful of curry and rice.

"Yuri"

"Yes, Judy?"

"Out of everyone's cooking, I'd say yours is the best—"

"Aww, thanks, honey, that means a lot," he jokingly flirted.

"Next to mine, sweetie," she replied, grinning. "But what's your secret?"

Yuri's smile dropped into a neutral expression, as if reaching into the confines of his thoughts and memories. Judith waited patiently; it was rare to see Yuri like this, even though she thought he had been acting slightly different that normal.

"Secret Ingredient," he replied.

"_Melodramatic just for that? Not uncommon among cooks…"_ Judith thought. "A secret ingredient is a cook's greatest secret… Care to elaborate what this might be?"

"Love" The Krityan's eye's widened.

"Pardon?" Judith was taken aback by the explanation, a trace of it showed in her face, but not more than curiosity.

"I said, 'Love'" he repeated. A genuine smile adorned his face.

"I see… so…" Judith trailed off, "What made you decide to add 'Love' to your repertoire of spices?"

Yuri let out a chuckle, "If I didn't know you better Judy, I'd say I was hearing scorn in your words."

Judith jutted out her bottom lip in a pout, "I'm just interested is all… Love is not usually in the recipe for food."

"Have I ever come off as 'usual' to you, Judy?" the Krytian let out a chuckle at the question.

"Never"

"Good, I've never aimed for usual," he grinned triumphantly.

"But in all seriousness, Yuri," Judith continued, "How could love make such a difference in your cooking?"

The raven-haired warrior scratched his chin in thought, "There was a lady who cooked at an inn back at the capital, she told me love is what cooking is about," he explained.

"I don't understand how that can translate into the taste…" replied Judith.

"Hmm…" Yuri pondered on how to explain. He knew that with her loner background, it would be hard to convey his thoughts about such intimate things as love. After all, she almost never showed true, vivid emotion.

"Well… if you made food for a person you really cared about, you're obviously gonna put more effort into it—"

"But you're not going to make a dish lesser in quality just because you don't know a person as well, correct?" questioned Judith.

"Judy, at some point logic is thrown out the window with this kinda stuff," Yuri replied. Judith remained silent, letting Yuri's words sink in.

"How about this: it's the desire to make a person you care about enjoy the work of your own hands that translates into a better tasting dish." he tried to elaborate.

"So you're food taste really good to me because you really _really_ care for me, deeply, is that right?" Judith asked. It had been intended as a partial joke but to her surprise Yuri's face remain stoic.

"Was there ever a doubt?" he asked.

Judith fidgeted in her seat uneasily, yet she was careful to keep a straight face. In spite of this, a light blush accented her cheeks. _"Wait, he really, really cares?"_ a thought struck her, _"Maybe he's been acting weird because he… was going to tell me that he really cares more than just a frie—"_

"You, Karol, Raven, Rita, Repede, and Estelle are especially important to me. Of course I couldn't forget Flynn, Hanks…" the swordsman continued, not knowing that his listener had gone off to a mental world of her own.

"_Where did that thought come from? Did you really think that he would feel that way?"_ she thought to herself. She placed her hand over her heart, a tugging pain concerned her._ "What's this empty feeling… disappointment? No, no, that can't be it. There's no reason to be… right?"_

"Hey, Judy?"

Her head shot up, "Yes?" she replied.

"You okay?" he asked, leaning forward to examine her face carefully.

"Of course," she responded.

"There's one more thing I need to say, if you don't mind that is"

"Go right ahead," her response had been more composed that last time. Internally, however, she was anxious to see if her suspicion was right. She could feel her heartbeat steadily speed up.

"Uh… Heh, sorry I acted kinda grouchy earlier…" he explained, almost chuckled.

"Is that it?" A light trace of disappointment hinted in her voice.

"Well… yeah"

"I see. To be truthful, I thought nothing of it."

"Alright, I just wanted to make sure" he said with relief.

"_So that's all he was concerned about?"_ she thought to herself. _"He's not the type to worry excessively…"_

"Yuri"

"What's up?"

"You didn't do anything wrong… but was that why you were acting strange?" she asked.

"Yeah, did it show?"

"Quite, may I ask why?"

"…"

"Yuri?"

"I suspected that the others would be worried but…" he trailed off.

"I assure you they were," said Judith.

"But you came to look for me and I wasn't as receptive as I could have been," replied Yuri as he shrugged.

"I see." _"Sounds about right, he was concerned because he didn't return a kind gesture… from me,"_ A rush of euphoria replaced her uneasy demeanor, happy to have that awkwardness out of the way.

"Judy, we should go if we want to see Halure and get back before dawn," Yuri called; he already had a foot on the trail. The fire was put out and the items had been gathered up and put in the pack Yuri was carrying.

"Coming!" she perkily replied, taking her place walking beside Yuri.

"You seem cheerful. Something you want to tell me?"

"You have to let me cook for you next time, Yuri."

He lifted an eyebrow in response, "Oh? On what occasion?"

"I'm going to test that love theory," she explained, smiling.

"Is that so?"

She sweetly explained, "Yes, I'm going to put _extra_ love so be sure to eat it _carefully_, okay?"

"I'll be sure to, _dear_," he replied. She smiled outwardly but inside she couldn't help but wish that his words would be more affection than joking.

* * *

It must have been a few hours past midnight as all the lights in Halure had been put out. Without any words at all, the two briskly walked up the hill, where the giant tree resided. By now the moon had started to make for the horizon, a signal that the night was nearing an end, but not just yet. Currently it rested just below the foliage of the tree, framed by the thick branches.

Yuri jumped up onto the large, arching root and offered his hand to Judith.

"A gentleman, I see," Judith said as she jumped up to the root, grasping his hand in the process. The two took a seat, staring at the sky. It was a mural of heaven's light painted into the dark void of space and framed by the warming atmosphere of the great tree. It seemed to get brighter the further they were into the night. No manmade light or structures hindered their view. There they sat in appreciation of nature's art for what seemed like an eternity.

"Why do you like looking at the moon so much, Judy?" She threw him a side-glance.

"Mind me asking?" he added.

"Well," the Krityan started; "It clears up my mind so I can think…" she answered.

"Huh… about what?"

Judith looked at him, "You're not normally this nosy, Yuri," she replied.

The swordsman chuckled a little, "I'm curious is all. We don't normally talk like this."

"Do you not like it?"

"That's not it, I like talking to you, but…"

Judith asked, "But what?" curiosity in her voice.

"It's just that," Yuri shrugged, "I guess I just want to know you better than I do now… you were always the hardest to get close to…" he said the last part to himself but Judith heard it clearly. She petrified at his words. She was happy that Yuri wanted to reach out to her; sad that he felt she was the most distant to him; and anxious—no, scared—to let anyone that close.

But she could conquer those feelings.

"I think about recent events, traveling, you guys, and what ever pops into mind, I guess," she explained.

"Fair enough… What are you thinking about now?" he asked. Judith remained silent, her gaze remaining on the moon.

"I was thinking about moon… how bright it is… so bright it dwarfs the other lights around it… It's almost like where ever it goes it will always be out of place among the stars… but in the big picture, it's right where it should be," Judith mused.

"I can get your point; but, I've gotta disagree with you there, Judy," he replied.

"Oh?" she shot him a questioning look, "In what way?"

"Even if the moon does 'dwarf' everything around her, the brightest stars, the strong ones," explained Yuri, pointing towards the brightest star in the sky, "Will shine along side her."

"Hmm…" said Judith, eyes scanning the sky, "There are very few of them I see that might be bright enough but other than Brave Vesperia… I don't see any other stars that could not diluted by the moon…"

"That's another thing," interrupted Yuri, "I don't think the moon 'dilute' anything, it makes everything brighter, supports it even."

"Then how come only the 'strongest' stars can accompany it?" Judith gave a knowing smile, thinking she had won their little debate.

Yuri returned the smile, "Because the stars also support the moon." The implication of the words dwelled in Judith's head.

"What if she doesn't need the support?" she asked; her questioning-yet-knowing look melted away.

Yuri shrugged, "Can't make it though life alone, she's no exception."

Judith stared at him, "But there's only one that _could_ support her, what about that?" she asked, eyes melancholy but face tense with a longing to know.

Quiet replaced the sound as Judith waited for Yuri's response. His gaze's had been drawn back to the moon. The silence was unbearable to Judith, it ate away at her. She couldn't read him, and that's what tore her inside. Anticipation built as she could see Yuri look at her from the corner of his eye.

Slowly he turned his head to look Judith square in the eyes, "Maybe because… he's all she needs…" he replied.

Judith returned her stare to the lunar presence, nodding. A light blush tinted her face. _"Could I have been right? About him…?"_ she thought to herself.

The swordsman laughed, "Aww, ain't that cute, still holdin' hands like a couple," Yuri joked. Judith looked down. He was right, she hadn't let go of him since getting up here. Quickly, she slid her hand out of his, facing the opposite direction. He couldn't help but chuckle at her bashful reaction.

"Honey, I don't bite."

_*Smack*_

"Ah! That's not nice, Judy"

"You have a talent for killing things, including moments"

* * *

Estelle had been ecstatic to hear about Rita's research, even more so about the planned reunion. With overwhelming anticipation, she had found it impossible to sleep. Currently she and her escort team, lead by Flynn on his request, were resting at Halure, less than a day away from Aspio. All of them were asleep, but Estelle had been pacing in her room for the last few minutes, not able to lie still. She figured a walk would help clear her mind.

Unknowingly, she had stumbled upon an interesting scene. Trying to listen in, she remain hidden, just out of sight with the decline of the hill.

"Yuri… and Judith?" she said to herself, "Together?" a light laugh escaped her lips.

"What will Karol say when he finds out? Or Rita for that matter? Raven will practically be green with envy!" she happily giggled to herself.

"Lady Estellise!" Estelle turned around. "It's late what are you doing out at this ti—" she pulled Flynn over to her spot and pointed in the direction of the large, arching root.

"Tell me if I am seeing incorrectly but I believe that's—"

"Yuri and Judith?"

"Yes!"

"Well, why are they here?" he asked curiously.

"A romantic outing, perhaps?" Estelle suggested.

"If that's the case it's best we leave them alone, Lady Estellise," Flynn replied as he began to walk away.

Estelle pulled him back, "If there's anything I've learned from Judith, it's to not pass up an opportunity, especially if it lands right in your lap."

"I'm sure she would regret teaching you so well. Regardless, we should allow them their privacy," Flynn replied, trying to remove himself from the princess's grasp.

"Flynn, isn't there something you need to settle with Yuri?" she asked.

The knight gave a peculiar look at the randomness of the question, "Not really, why?"

"Think back to your time prior to joining the knights, anything at all?"

"Not to my knowledge, I'm pretty sure everything's even or forgiven," he replied.

The princess huffed but a thought struck that put a grin on her face, "Flynn, on my last journey there was a period in which Yuri cooked the entire time." She began. Nostalgia showed on the knight's face as he scratched his chin with a smile.

"Ah yes, I remember back in my days in the lower quarter, always insisting he cooked…"

She pondered, "Yes he told us that but he also said that he didn't cook necessarily because he liked it but because if he didn't, he would have to eat something horrendous… I wonder who that chef could be." She tried to imitate Judith's sarcastic demeanor on the last phrase, failing. However it was not needed. A pang of guilt struck her, as Flynn looked honestly hurt.

"A-At least, that's how I remembered it anyway… don't look so sad! I'm sure it was another one of your friends!" she frantically consoled. "I bet it was! I'm sure he loved your cooking very mu—" Flynn motioned her to stop.

The knight looked away, "I suppose… I could help you capture the moment. Wait here," he said before jogging off to the inn. Estelle checked on their two subjects; still there, chatting away.

"I believe this will suffice," said Flynn as he returned. He was carrying a roughed up camera that barely fit in his hands it was so bulky. The gear crank, used to cycle the film, and the shutter button showed signs of rust.

"That's a rather, outdated camera…"

"Sorry, it's all I've got. I don't know how long it's been sitting in my bag," he replied as he walked up the hill. He rolled the crank, made the lens zoom as far as they could, crawled to where the hill had stopped its incline, and took the picture.

_*click* *click*_

He held the camera with a victorious look, pleased to be able to see the results later. Yuri might think his cooking sucks but he was _sure_ he could "redeem" himself through his photography.

"_I know I'm not the best, Yuri, but I wouldn't go so far as to say I was horrendous…"_ Frantic poking removed him from his thoughts.

"Flynn!" she whispered feverishly, "They're coming this way!"

The two made a mad dash for the inn and hid under the steps, concealed even more by the shadows.

"Why not hide _inside_ the inn?" Estelle asked in a hushed tone. Flynn shushed her and waited for the two to start on the path leading out of the town. Thankfully they hadn't noticed them in the shadows. The knight crawled to the base of the stairs, winded up the camera and took a picture. He repeated the process to take another. The two were too far away before he could take a third picture.

"I think I got an even better shot than the first one," Flynn said triumphantly.

"Flynn, you're not mad at Yuri, right?" the princess hopefully asked.

"Nope, I'd say this," he pointed towards his camera, "makes us even," the knight explained. He walked up the stairs. Before going inside, Estelle looked at the path that the two had left on. Faintly she could see the two walk off into the distance.

She heard Flynn and his 2nd in command talk inside. "Commandant, what are you doing up this late at night?"

"Sodia, once in Halure, get this film developed immediately, that's an order, alright?"

"Yes sir!"

"One more thing… Allow me to cook for the team, I want an honest opinion"

* * *

A/N: I hope the moon metaphor wasn't too far off. By the way, I'm a fan of YurixJudith. I know, shocking, right? Anyway, I'll be putting our favorite characters in place for the next chapter or two, plot comes in later. R&R


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own TOV

* * *

Aspio had just come into view when the first rays of sunlight shone through the mountain range. The light glistened off the morning dew that had condensed onto the grass, creating the image that the field had sprouted diamonds. Two figures walked along the path that lead into the city, their voices the only human sound in the early morning.

"… and that's how me and Flynn got our first sword," he finished. The Krityan nodded.

"I see, the two of you sounded very close in your younger days," she replied as Yuri gave a nod.

The swordsman looked towards the top of the mountains where he could see the morning light illuminate peak. He wondered if the others had worried about him and Judy last night.

"So Hermes was your dad, huh? What was he like?" Yuri asked.

Judith scratched her chin in thought, "In a few words: eccentric, smart, and well meaning…" she replied.

"Sounds like a great man."

"He was…" Yuri could hear her voice slump.

Quiet replaced the conversation as they approached Aspio.

"What about your parents, Yuri?" Judith asked, attempting to break the silence.

He waved the question off, with a light chuckle, "Nothing there to say, Judy," he replied, folding his hands behind his head and closing his eyes. He heard her huff in disappointment, even though it was very subtle. He couldn't help but chuckle.

"Yuri?" he cracked an eye open at the sound of his name.

"Yeah?" They had just entered the cave Aspio resided in, and were walking towards the door which lead back into the library.

Her mouth formed a smile, but it wasn't a sarcastic one, an I-know-but-am-asking-anyway one, or a teasing one. "Thanks for coming with me," she said.

The realization struck him; it was a genuinely happy smile. "It was my pleasure, Judy," the swordsman replied. The door opened, as if welcoming them.

"Huh?" Yuri looked inside.

"Well, well, well! wha' da' ya got here?"

"Wow, you were right Raven!"

* * *

The sudden introduction of light to the originally dark hotel room awoke Karol, causing the young guildmaster to jump up into a fighting stance but was snared by his blanket.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" he screeched, falling off the bed. He waited to feel the hard, wooden floor hit his face but instead he felt a hand haul him up by the collar of the baggy shirt he slept in.

"Great ta see you're so lively, Karol!" a voice exclaimed.

"R-Raven?!" he exclaimed. His surprise became tiredness. "Ugh, what time is it?"

"5:00 am, my boy!" Raven replied, taking Karol under his arm, waving out the other hand like he was showing him something vast, "Primetime ta start one a' those 'new blastia' press conferences— Ooh! I know, how 'bout ten to fifteen interviews with a bunch a' different people asking the same thing! Doesn't that sound fu—"

"No," Karol groggily replied. Raven gave him a peculiar look before releasing him and placing a large slap on his back.

"Well sucks to be Rita, huh!" he heartily laughed as he bounced off the bed. "Now c'mon, the city awaits! Let's show your guildmembers how to LIVE!" Raven exclaimed as he dramatically pointed towards the door.

Karol looked at him surprised, "Shouldn't they stop for the night?!" he asked.

The ex-knight, again, looked at him strangely, "Yer guildmembers?"

Karol shook his head, "No, the coverage of the blastia."

Raven shrugged, "Hell if I knew, from what I hear, the hours are crazy! They're all open to the press from sunrise ta sunset then they take shifts during the night, that's _inhumane_!" he exclaimed. His expression quickly changed as he chuckled once again, "Glad it ain't me!"

"Why would they do that?" Karol pondered.

"Considerin' this was originally planned for just for a few days, not surprised they would try something like this. The shifts don't sound to bad fer most of them but seein' how Rita's the big brain behind these new blastia, she must've been pestered constantly since it all started," Raven replied. "She'll get though it, I'm sure. Now, how 'bout we go tear up the town—" The lights turned out on him.

"G'night," the lights flipped back on. "Nnnggghhh…" Karol groaned in protest.

"What happened ta all that youthful energy?" Raven asked with disappointment.

"I thought older people were supposed to get tired sooner…" Karol sleepily replied.

Raven explained, "We're morning people, Karol, besides this city's still up and lively, along with most of your guildmembers I might add."

"Then the city can wait for a few more hours…"

Raven sighed and took a seat on a vacant bed. "One of your newer members asked me to bring a message, 'We still haven't found Yuri, even though we've searched most of the town. Judith still hasn't checked in either'" he quoted. "Something happen?"

Karol sat up to respond. "After we arrived we sorta lost him in the crowd. We had just got to this hotel, the new one Rita recommended we stay in, when we noticed Yuri was gone. Judith volunteered to search for him and we haven't heard from them since…" he trailed off.

"Worrying won't find them faster, besides it's not like they're in any danger," Raven consoled.

"I know… but I'd still like to know where they are," Karol replied.

"Y'know I've got a hunch where they might—"

"Where?!"

"What happened to sleeping?" Raven asked.

"Pfft, who cares? I'm not tired anymore!" Karol exclaimed.

"That's the spirit!"

"So where are they, Raven?"

The ex-knight put a serious face on, stroking his chin, "Well, if we still haven't found one or the other separate, it could mean that they are somewhere together…" he started. Apparently, the realization struck him hard.

"Wait… NO! This can't—" His voice was muffled by a pillow Karol threw.

"Sometimes I think Rita's right; you have _way _too much energy for someone your age."

Raven tossed the pillow aside, "Ahem," he cleared his throat, "As I was saying, if they're together they probably wouldn't stay in one place, and Judith did enjoy midnight walks… come to think of it… if she was with anyone at night it was Yuri…"

Karol let the meaning of Raven's words sink in, "You're not implying they're together, right?" he asked.

Raven smiled as if he had an epiphany, "That's precisely what I'm sayin', Karol!" The young guildmaster gave him a lame look.

"…You have an imagination that puts children to shame."

Raven ignored the comment, "Believe me Karol, this city's too crowded fer two lone wolves like them. I bet they took a walk outside a' town or something, and I bet," another grin plastered itself onto his face, "We can catch those two lovebirds on their return trip!"

"You and your harebrained schemes, Raven. Now if you'll excuse me…" said Karol as he sunk back into the covers of his bed. The ex-knight let out a sigh.

"C'mon, what's a guy gotta do ta get support 'round here? I mean, there could be a secret romance going on behind your back! In your own guild! At least tell me you're curious!" he exclaimed.

"Can't say I am. Besides, if they are, they'd tell us… well, maybe not you but—"

"Oh I'm hurt Karol! Now I was hoping I wouldn't have to resort to this but you forced my hand!" Raven proclaimed.

Karol peeled enough of the blanket off for him to look at Raven with one eye, "What?"

He chuckled in response, "Y'know who I saw on the way in ta town?"

"Who?"

"Nan," Raven answered. Karol's eyes widened at the name.

And he knew Raven noticed, as a victorious grin had spread across his face.

Karol pulled the covers over his head and faced the other way, "S-so?" Karol asked in reply. "I'll say 'hi' if we happen to meet and… yeah," he continued.

"I'm not sure how receptive she'll be if she found out 'bout that 3x5 pic ya took a' her without her knowin'…"

Karol sat up, "Y-You wouldn't! That's blackmail! Who told you?!" he incoherently sputtered out.

"So you'll be joining me this fine morning fer our quest ta' find—"

"Yeah, yeah, now get out so I can change," Karol said before letting out a long, defeated sigh.

Raven obliged, leaving the room. "Heh, Heh, Victory is sweet!"

* * *

"See? Told ya boy!" Raven proudly gloated.

Immediately the swordsman was suspicious, "Told you what, Karol?" Yuri asked.

"N-Nothing?" the guildmaster shakily replied.

"Are you asking me or telling me? And I suppose you 'just happened' to be here the same time as us"

Karol bit his lip, trying to suppress the fit of giggles. Yuri stared down Raven. "Something you want to tell me?" Yuri asked. The ex-knight whistled, staring off in another direction. Judith curiously looked at the two before directing her gaze to Yuri, who shrugged in response.

"S-So how long have you two—" Raven pulled Karol aside, covering his mouth.

"Excuse us for a minute," he said before whispering to Karol. "Why'd ya go an' do that?"

"'Cause I wanna know, isn't that obvious?"

"We can't let them know we know—"

"Why not?"

"It's obvious they'll deny it! We need evidence to turn up—witnesses, stuff like that before we can get them to spill!" Raven explained. Karol gave him a weird look.

"What?!" Raven exclaimed, stepping back and placing his hands on his hips.

"Have you done this before? Sniff out dirt on people?"

A proud look came over the 'old man's' face, "I collected info for the Don, I've gotta have _some_ talent—"

"For what? Gossip, old man?" Yuri interjected.

"W-wha?" Raven spun around.

"Such an interesting conversation, what might this 'dirt' be?" Judith sweetly asked.

Raven gave an awkward smile as he took a step back, "Uh, hey! Rita's press conference already started, maybe if we get there fast enough we can get a word in before she gets dragged off to an interview!" he suggested before dragging Karol towards one of the larger laboratories in the city.

"Ducking the questions, old man? … We'll get it out of him later," Yuri said before turning to Judith. "Press conferences and interviews, at—what, 6 in the morning?" She shrugged.

* * *

The foyer of the laboratory was lined with rows of chairs facing the stage which had been hastily set up. Among the rows were a few journalists, who sat in the front. The majority, however, were citizens of the Empire or guildmembers, people desperate to find a replacement for the blastia they had so depended on. Five researches sat in a row of chairs behind the podium, where the genius mage of Aspio was speaking.

Raven, Karol, Yuri and Judith had walked in just as she finished, "…as you can see, the spirit's energy is invulnerable to phenomena such as the Adephagos. Questions?" she asked. The bags under her eyes were heavy and noticeable. Hands shot up, noticeably few of the journalist among them.

"You," Rita said, pointing to a hand in the back of the crowd.

"Can you give us a demonstration?!" he strained to be heard. Murmurs of excitement spread through the crowd.

One of the researchers stood up and directed the microphone to himself, "Now, now, the use of these blastia would be hazardous to your well-being," he explained. Rita let out a tired, irritated sigh, taking her sight off of the crowd. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Karol and Raven waving.

She took back the mic, "Sure." The panel of scientist looked dumbfounded at her.

The standing researcher covered the mic as he feverishly whispered, "It's far too dangerous for any of our magic, especially yours!" Rita pushed him back where the others sat.

"Those guys, and their guild," she said, pointing towards her group of friends, "helped me in gathering my earlier data. It's only fitting that they should be giving the demonstration… Get up here!" she irritably called. Karol, Yuri and Judith approached the stage. She shot Raven an angry look.

"You too, old man!" she yelled into the mic.

"Hey! Be nice to your elders!" his singular voice starkly contrasted with the amplified shouts of Rita.

The mage walked up the Yuri and pulled up his left wrist, where he wore his metal bangle, and placed a red stone to fill the empty indent. She tossed one to Judith before placing a third stone onto Karol's bag.

"A demonstration, huh?" said Yuri tossing his sheathe. Rita motioned him to go ahead.

"Azure Edge!" he yelled, a bolt of blue energy shot from his sword's swing, frightening the panel as it sped past, and fading away after some distance. A huge grin came onto his face as he stared at his sword, Second Star.

"Alright!" he yelled.

"I'd like to turn over my time for questions to the team if I could," Rita addressed the panel. They nodded in consent.

The journalist who sat in the front shot up and made their way towards Rita, trying to shove the others out of the way. The first one who got there cleared his throat before speaking.

"Miss Mordio, a minute of your time if you would?" he asked over the clamor of the others trying to get a word in.

"No interviews," she replied, glaring at him.

With a confident look on his face he continued, "There were many from the empire who could not make it to the event, surely you could spare a moment of your time for their peace of mind!"

A vein bulged from her forehead, "NO! How about that?!" she replied. Another journalist slid his way in between.

"Miss Mordio—"

A purple symbol glowed under her feet, "O gathering flames of darkness treat our dear guests to the strain of your terrible song!" whipping her sash around, a purple sphere formed around her "Bloody—!"

The group dispersed, scattering away like cockroaches.

A happily relieved expression came to her face, "That's better," she said as her magic faded.

Raven pouted, "Hold on, why'd ya have me come up? I already got my blastia…" he complained. Rita ignored him, turning to the mage at the very end of the panel.

"He's the one I told you about," Rita said to the researcher. An excited look came onto his face. Immediately he walked up to Raven, grabbing and shaking his hand.

"Hello, a colleague of mine is the head developer of a Blastia-Heart Replacement Procedure. As you could guess, it would be easier and cheaper to obtain a blastia than a heart." He explained, as if it was a sales pitch.

"If you would be so kind as to come with me, I am without a doubt that he would be ecstatic to study you!" he joyfully exclaimed.

"Uh…"

"If he could develop this procedure, it would save the hundreds of lives who were on the waiting list for replacement hearts, who would have died during the organ wait!"

Raven let out a sigh, "Can't deny that…" he said as he followed the researcher.

* * *

Rita led the group out of the laboratory, walking towards her home. "I had to get rid of that old man, he would've given me a migraine!" she suddenly exclaimed.

"Hey, hey, easy, Rita," Yuri replied, "We weren't questioning you."

"In fact, we're in debt to you," Judith added with a smile, "He was being rather… childish," she explained. The four of them started walking down the steps which lead to Rita's home.

"More than normal? What'd the old man do?" she asked. Karol walked a bit faster than the others, motioning her to do that same.

Once a fair distance away from the two, he whispered, "Raven thinks Yuri and Judith are a couple and—"

"That's it?!" she questioned indignantly, "I would at least think gossip was below him!"

"S-So do you think they're—"

"Of course, it's practically your guys' style!" she exclaimed. Her voice was loud enough for Yuri and Judith to hear clearly. Intrigued by the proclamation they walked faster to catch up.

"Pardon?" Judith asked.

"Our style…?" Yuri repeated.

"Yeah, the kid's the comedic relief, the Krytian's the love interest, and Yuri's the straight man," Rita explained. The pair behind her looked surprised at her reasoning.

"Where would that put you?" Karol asked.

"Tch, I'm not part of this soap oper—"

"We're a guild you know!" Yuri interrupted.

* * *

Silence reigned as they entered Rita's house. It was a bit messy to say a least, not that she cared that stacks of books lined the interior of her home. While Karol and Rita had just begun to argue about her role in the guild, or lack there of, the Krityan looked as if something was bugging her. Yuri's gaze strayed to Judith. Her eyes were trained down, finger pressed against her cheek, and mouth tightly pressed together in thought.

"Something wrong, Judy?"

"Yuri, did you notice we never did figure out what Raven was whispering about earlier?" Judith asked.

The swordsman scratched his chin in thought, "Yeah, what of it…?"

"It's just that now he won't be back for a while…"

"True… Hey, Karol! What were you whispering about earlier today?" The young guildmaster cringed at the blunt question.

Joining in on the initiative Judith added, "As well as what you were whispering on the way here."

"Er… it's nothing, really…" Karol replied, stepping back. The two took a step towards him.

"Then you wouldn't mind telling us then?" Judith sweetly asked.

The mage stepped in between the three, "It's not much really, just that Raven thinks you two are—" Karol pulled her aside, behind a pile of books.

"What the hell?!" she yelled as she smacked Karol's head.

"Ow… you suck, Rita…" he muttered under his breath.

The mage heard his whisper and raised her hand threateningly, "Care to repeat that?"

"N-No"

"That's what I thought! Now back to the question at hand: What the hell?!"

Karol rubbed his head before replying, "Raven wants us to keep his theory a secret—"

"Gimme one reason why I should," she interrupted, pointing a finger right between his eyes.

"He thinks we should wait for evidence to turn up before we asked them about their relationship…" he replied, audibly much quieter. The genius mage looked as if she considered it.

"Evidence, huh…?" she repeated before turning away. She pretended to be looking for something as she shifted through the pages of an open book.

Rita let out a sigh, "Well, I guess I could wait a bit before blowing the lid off that old man's schemes. Just in case he could pull something out, that is," she explained.

"Gossip is below Raven but not you?"

Rita spun around to face Karol, "Shut up! If there's something going on between them, it would be better to gather information supporting or denying it," she explained.

"Right… wait so you're on board for this?" he excitedly asked.

Rita scoffed, "As if! I'm just watching to see the results."

"Suuure you are" Karol sang, earning him another whack on the head.

"Damn right I am!" suddenly her expression switched from angry to inquisitive, "H-Hey, where are those two anyway?" Karol spun around and saw that, other than Rita and himself, the house was empty.

"Better go find them," said Rita as she climbed the ladder in her house.

"W-Wait, where are you going? Aren't you going to help me?!" he protested.

"I'm going to get a few minutes of sleep; I'll be right behind you," she replied as she reached the top and walked out of sight. Karol let out a sigh before dashing towards the door.

* * *

Judith hastily walked up the steps into the dense crowd, weaving her way past each individual as she made her way towards the least congested area in the city, the library. In the noise from dozens upon dozens of people, she could barely think straight. Krityans had better hearing than humans and she could clearly perceive Rita's and Karol's conversation. She knew Yuri didn't hear it. At least not the quieter parts, that is. So she could guess that he was surprised when she had simply bolted from Rita's home.

"Judy? Judy?!" she could hear Yuri call her name in the distance. Right now, she wasn't composed enough to speak with him, so she pressed on forward. The night before, the time she had spent with him, was indescribable to her. She was close to everyone in the group but with recent events, it seemed to her that Yuri was the only one who wasn't holding something back from her.

Now she knew what they were whispering about. It had thrown her into whirlwind of thoughts. She couldn't remember the last time she was flustered. They thought she and Yuri were…

A blush crept onto her face; the warm, uneasy feeling foreign to her.

"_It's just their suspicion. He's just a really close friend,"_ she told herself while strolling the library's halls. The tugging feeling returned. She put her hand over her chest, feeling her heart beat a bit harder than normal.

"…_You sound like you're trying to prevent false hope…"_ Judith mentally said. Brooding, she didn't notice the sound of footsteps growing louder.

"Judy!" Yuri exclaimed. Surprised, the Krityan spun around to see the source of the voice.

With a serious face he asked, "What's bothering you?"

"N-Nothing…" she replied as she turned away.

He raised an eyebrow in response, "Stuttering? Who are you, and what have you done with Judy?"

She shot him a glare.

And he gave a half-hearted grin in response, "Sorry"

Turning away, she started walking off, but not without feeling pulled in both directions. She never had a problem with indecisiveness, why now?

"Judy," she stopped in her tracks.

"I'm here if you need me…" The heat that rushed to her head made her dizzy, but she could muster herself enough to nod. Slow footsteps began to fade in her hearing.

She had a plan; she would take a walk alone to compose herself, to ready her mental barriers; knowing that Yuri was the only one who could get past her pokerface, her tricks to dodge a topic, and distractions her assets provided. How he could do this, she didn't know, which was one of the reasons he had intrigued her in the first place. Then when she was ready, she would talk to Yuri, but she had no idea what to say. What would be her explanation on why she just left? It was not a pressing matter, however. After all, she would have enough time to come up with an idea to make the subject moot.

Anxiety filled her when she felt her mouth move as if on its own accord, "Yuri?" The footsteps stopped. Against her own logic screaming in her head, she turned to face the swordsman who had approached her at the sound of his name.

"Yeah?"

Her mind was yelling to just say, 'thanks' and think up an explanation for later. But she disregarded the warning.

"Walk with me?" she asked. The logical side of her was calling her stupid for abandoning the plan, for going on a whim, but she surprisingly felt at ease with her decision.

"Sure," he replied. She had no idea what she would do or say, but she was not worrying right now.

What mattered was that she was with him.

* * *

Karol scanned the crowd for any sign of Yuri or Judith, hoping that he could get to the bottom of their sudden disappearance. He caught a glimpse of someone with long black hair, carrying a sword by the ropes on the sheathe, disappear into the confines of the library. It had to be Yuri!

As he swiftly navigated his way through the crowd, he could have sworn someone had called his name. He brushed the notion off as he made his way to the building. He was focusing on finding his two guildmates. The idea that he was eavesdropping, however, slowed him. Maybe he was invading his guildmates' privacy. He never wanted to be rude towards them, he just wanted to know.

"Karol!" a voice knocked him out of his thoughts. He spun around and jumped back in surprise, bumping into someone passing by.

"Hey! Watch where you're going kid!"

"S-Sorry!" Karol replied, as he backed away from the stranger.

"Being a guildmaster gotten to your head, Karol?"

He turned to face the person talking to him, "Huh? Nan? What are you doing around here?!" Karol exclaimed.

"I'm here for the same reason everyone else is—the blastia," she explained. "Besides, that Raven guy told me—" The young guildmaster's face visibly paled, remembering the conversation he had with the ex-knight.

"I'mreallysorryNan! Afriendfromthephotographyguildtookitformewhileyouwerepassingby! I'mnostalker! Don'tkillme!" Karol frantically blabbered out, defensively flailing his arms.

"—you were here and were meaning to say 'hi'" she finished. Karol froze.

Shooting him a suspicious glare, she continued, "What was that all about?!"

He slowly brought his arms down as he nervously laughed, "S-So… How're Boss and Tyson?"

"You're not getting out of this one, Karol, start talking," she replied, impatiently tapping her foot.

Karol sighed, "…You suck Raven…"

* * *

He knew something was wrong.

Aside from combat, Judith never did anything brash. So it was unsettling to him when she left without a word, almost ran. The Judith he knew never looked to escape, always faced things without flinching or signs of fear. The idea that she was possibly _running_ from something was a big concern for him.

For a moment he considered how odd the situation was. If anyone did _not_ need anyone else to worry about her, it was Judith. He remembered a time when she had complained that they had ran from a fight. He replied by saying that they would have been eaten and that it was a strategic retreat, but she retorted that they could simply _rip their way out of its stomach_. The large contrast was all the more reason to get to the bottom of things.

Initially it seemed that she had pushed him away, shut him out. He was crestfallen; thinking the closeness from yesterday was simply his imagination. But that was her choice, and he would never force himself on anyone, especially her.

He felt elated when she had called him back, but noticed how different he was feeling from just a moment ago. From near depression to euphoria, did Judith's acceptance mean that much to him? It wasn't that he expected that he would be unfazed, but he never expected the sudden jump in emotion.

When she asked him to walk with her, he did so glad to see that the closeness he had in mind, perhaps, wasn't just in his imagination. So now they walked, side by side, back into the vast meadow that spread as far as the eyes could see, beyond the cave of Aspio.

"We really can't stand such a crowded city, can we?" Yuri asked. Judith silently nodded. The swordsman took the hint, now was not the time for talk. For now, simply being there was the best thing he could do for her.

He noticed that she was barely paying attention to where they were walking. She looked down, almost to her feet. Her eyebrows were furrowed closer together, but there were no other signs of her thought in that detached pokerface. Her lips showed no indication of a smile or frown, just neutral. Yuri's gaze returned to the ruby orbs, her eyes. Stray bangs cascaded down her face to obscure his view, as he tried to see if he could find any other notion of what she was thinking.

Suddenly she looked up, and met the gaze of dark obsidian. "Yuri?"

* * *

There was a look in his expression, showing abundance of what was seen in just slivers throughout their last journey.

Worry for someone's well being, prevalent in his gaze, but it was not alone.

Another feeling was mixed in, but this one was the most common she had seen out of him, the will to preserve something important to him.

Whenever he had that determined look in his eye it was always something pressing. The time he had pursued Barbos at Ghasfarost, which was the first time they met face-to-face, was one. When he had gone after Flynn to save the lives at what would soon be Aurnion was another. In their final battle with Duke, his will practically radiated.

But through all that, he never worried, if he did he kept it from showing.

After Estelle had caused Belius's death, and she had considered herself as an 'insipid poison', instead of showing concern like he was now, he cut his arm open. Estelle, being Estelle, immediately healed him, and Yuri used that to show her that she wasn't poison.

Simply put, worry was not something common with him.

"_Is he worried… about me?"_ she thought. "Something wrong, Yuri?" she asked aloud.

"Not with me," he replied, "Remember, if there's something wrong, I'm here, okay?" His expression had returned to normal.

"Okay, thanks, Yuri," she replied, "Well… I guess there's something…" she continued, looking away.

"Go ahead," Yuri urged.

She flustered at the idea of telling Yuri what they said, "It's just that… Raven, Karol, and even Rita, were talking about…" She paused.

"They were acting pretty weird… Please, continue…"

Judith let out an annoyed sigh, "In a nutshell, they think we—"

The violent shaking of the ground interrupted her, lasting a few seconds.

It passed without effecting the two, "Earthquake?" Yuri asked.

"No, too weak," Judith replied, "I'd say… a landslide."

"Must've been a big one, so anyway what were you sayin—"

Judith took the opportunity, "Mind if we check it out?"

Yuri gave a surprised look in return, "Sure, I guess we can talk about it on the way there."

"I'd appreciate it, and I'll tell you on the way there," she assured him.

"Hey guys! Did you feel that?!" The two looked to see Karol run towards them, with Nan right behind him.

"Yeah, we were just about to check it out," Yuri replied

A look of relief and happiness came to Karol's face, "Great! I'll come too—"

"To investigate an earthquake, Karol? Yeah, right," Nan spat.

"Landslide," Judith interjected.

"Y-Yeah, if a landslide happened, it would be best for Brave Vesperia to see if anyone needs our help!" Karol replied.

"In that case, I should go along to assist you—"

Judith asked, "Leaving the city without notifying your Boss? You seem sure he'd let that slide." Sarcasm dripped from her voice.

Nan let out an irritated grunt before acquiescing, "Fine, Karol, I'm not one to forget, and I still want to know about earlier—"

"Yeah, I'll get back to you on that!" Karol replied as the three walked towards the ship Ba'ul lowered from the sky.

* * *

A/N: Thank you for the reviews! It really means a lot! I plan on updating once a week to two weeks during the summer. School is on the horizon though, but I'll continue this regardless. R&R


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own TOV

* * *

Raven sighed as he stood, once more taking in the image of the room. It resembled a doctor's office, save for the machines behind him. The only familiar shape was the treadmill he stood next to. Some could best be described as seismographs, but he guessed that they must be measuring his "heart's" activity or its energy intake. He looked down to see the white pads which had been placed over certain parts of his blastia, lungs, and other vital organs. From these white pads, a fiber optic thread sprouted from each to deliver its information to the afore mentioned machines.

"Alright, take another deep breathe and exhale," said one of the researchers. Raven complied. Aside from the head researcher there were three watching the machine's readings and two taking notes on what their leader muttered back every so often. This was one of the very few things they had asked of him for the last half-hour. Raven sagged his head in boredom, other than that quake a few minutes ago, it was completely uneventful.

Finally the head researcher turned to face one of the machine's operators, "What've we got?"

"No question this blastia will sustain him for a few more decades. It's a perfect replacement!" he exclaimed.

"I could've told ya that…" Raven said under his breath.

"Excellent, Raven, if you could kindly get on the treadmill." Raven did so without a word, he remained quiet to listen in on the conversation the researcher had with the note takers.

One shook his head with what seemed like regret, "...Sorry, sir, but it'll take different series of test to find out _that_ much about the procedure," he explained.

The head researcher flipped through the notes the two had been jotting down, nodding every now and again before sighing, "I see… well we need to find out what this runs on before we can get clearance from the Board of Ethics to extensively study and experiment," he mused as he strolled over to view the readings the machines had displayed.

Raven paled at the idea, "Uh, if ya need ta' know, this thing runs on my life energy, and, y'know, I don't think that'll fly well with 'em," he interjected. They stared at him, their worry for their project showed on their face.

One of the researchers, with a dumbfounded look, asked, "B-But, then you should show signs of deteriorating! How did you engage in combat with that siphoning away your life?!" Raven shrugged at the question, causing the lead researcher to sigh.

A rapid knocking interrupted their thought. Begrudgingly, the leader opened the door.

"We're preoccupied at the moment; may I ask what your business here is?" Irritation was prevalent in his voice.

In walked a tall, burly man, wearing a purple vest and black pants. His face held a scowl that never seemed to relent. He was looked about 40, despite his muscles. A tattoo, matching the symbol on the back of Raven's coat, was imprinted on his shoulder. A large ax was strapped to his back, and a scar over his eye rendered him blind on that side. He pointed towards Raven.

"He's requested at a meeting on behalf of Altosk. The Four Master Guilds are scheduled to meet to discuss a pressing matter," he explained.

One of the researchers scratched his chin in thought, "Weren't there five?'

The guildmember shook his head, "No, Blood Alliance got kicked out. You need to get your nose out of that research and get out more," he ignored the indignant looks before turning to the ex-knight, "Raven, sir, this is urgent and we mustn't wait another moment!"

They all turned to look at the head researcher, who was pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance and stress.

"I suppose we could ask Mordio about his blastia. After all, they traveled together and I can't imagine her _not_ interested in a blastia that replaced a heart…" he replied before motioning that Raven could go. In a second, the fiber optics were torn off and Raven had his shirt and coat back on.

"Thanks, it was gettin' pretty boring back in there!" Raven exclaimed as the two dashed out of the building.

"Get serious, things're going to hell back at Dahngrest—"

"Hold up, we're going back to Dahngrest? I just got here!" Raven whined as they neared the city gates.

"Now's not the time, if you knew—"

"Well isn't it yer job tell me, Mr. Messenger Boy?"

"Not here, where people can listen in. I'll tell you on the way," he replied. They ran through the crowded gate before seeing a horse drawn coach.

"Wow, they really want me to get back, huh?" The comment was ignored as they jumped in and the driver shut the door behind them. They could feel the wagon swiftly move across the dirt path.

"So what's all the fuss about?" The scowl on the man's face disappeared, melting into a look of concern. He rested his forehead on his hand before running his fingers through his whitening hair. Letting out a sigh, he began to explain.

"It had started as just another guild meeting. We were rounding up the other guildmasters…" he started.

* * *

Ioder shifted uneasily in his seat, which was surrounded by a half-circle table against the back of the room. At the table sat his highest ranking nobles and councilmen. In front of them were two podiums, equal distance away from the other and its corresponding wall. Behind them were rows of benches along the steps to make Ioder's seat the center of what seemed like an amphitheater. Here on the benches, lower ranked council members sat, listening or waiting for their turn to speak. Off to the right of the half-circle table sat a figure; a black screen concealed him on three sides. A light behind him illuminated his silhouette, sitting informally with his head propped up by his fist while his ankle rested over his knee.

The air was thick with tension as each individual in the room were processing the new intelligence and its implications in their head. A noble stood and walked down the steps towards one of the empty podiums.

"Captain Hartwin, this is a serious allegation, how can you verify it? How is it _possible_ you can verify this… for lack of better term—blackmail?" he addressed the silhouetted man.

He gave a light chuckle, "I wouldn't go so far and call it _blackmail_, but I've got a wide variety of… procedures at my disposal," the captain replied.

"Procedures to get transaction records from Fortunes Market? Very condemning records at that. One would guess that if these documents were _real_—"

"Questioning my integrity, are we?" the captain asked, a tint of anger in his voice.

The politician retained a composed expression, "I highly doubt that they would even keep records of this. Regardless, I'm simply restating that these documents are unverified," the noble explained.

"My integrity _is_ my verification"

"How whimsical, yet if these are authentic, it's obvious that Fortunes Market would not let you get your hands on them easily. I believe I can speak for the council to say that we are curious to the nature of those aforementioned procedures."

"Anything to get the information, within the provided ethic guidelines of course," he replied.

The noble slammed his fist into the podium. "That answer simply won't do! For a brigade who can _supposedly_ be our eyes and ears in the world, you're being vague. Now you will remember that you are under oath—"

"You! Will remember," he interrupted, "that I collect and report intelligence. My methods are off-limits to you!" he spat.

The nobleman's eyes widened in rage "Impudent little—"

"Settle down, such displays of frustration is unbecoming of our leaders," Ioder interjected. The nobleman shrunk back, embarrassed to have been called out in front of his fellow political leaders.

However, another noble stood up in his defense. He was a hefty person, apparently middle aged. "I don't see what's wrong with knowing his methods, your Highness. Consider this, does the end really justify the means?" he asked, strolling towards the second podium.

"After all, what good is it if we challenge crime, using criminal methods? I say we hear exactly how our dear Captain stumbled upon the basis for this allegation!"

The knight sat normally before speaking, "This is information regarding the Empire's security, can't you see past—"

"Circumlocution never got any question answered. Now cease your pointless chatter and inform us of your method!" he exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger to the silhouetted captain.

Captain Hartwin shrugged, "The Empire's security keeps me from speaking."

The hefty noble tried to glare at him through the screen, disdainful of his informal attitude. "Explain"

"If my methods get leaked to the public, eventually my intelligence targets will find out, putting the Empire and my men in danger."

"The public is not here, how can you say it will get—"

"I'm not dumb, sir, I know what I say gets put on record. In some adjacent room there's a secretary listening in, typing down our entire conversation. These files will eventually be declassified and put into our publicly accessible archives." Hartwin explained.

"Who on Terca Lumireis looks at those?!" the noble indignantly cried.

"It's a bad habit of _supposed_ intelligence groups to leave information unguarded," the captain replied, "no further comments"

The first noble laughed, bolstered by the assistance, "You did a good job of getting around that one! But in all seriousness, let's hear those methods"

Captain Hartwin looked towards Ioder, "Your Highness, I don't remember this being an investigation into my brigade."

"You have avoided the question long enough—"

The emperor stood up, "No, he is right, we have the information and that's what counts. If he is ever under suspicion of fowl play, we will take the proper steps to investigate—"

Even though only his silhouette was visible, one could sense he was grinning in victory.

"—However, that doesn't mean we should ignore what's right in front of our faces. Captain Hartwin, I order that you disclose the exact methods you used to gain this information."

The knight stood up as he exclaimed, "We're missing the point, Your Highness! Fortunes Market—and possibly the entire Union is hord—"

"That was an order, Captain Hartwin," Ioder replied, he glared at the screen as if the Captain could perceive his stare.

The captain sighed as he sat back down, pinching the bridge of his nose. Defeated, he took a moment to pick his words carefully before trying to explain. He looked up, and even though his view was obscured by the screen, he could feel the victorious smirks on the councilmen. The idea that they had bested him made his stomach churn with anger.

* * *

The mid-morning light punctured the foliage of the trees, causing beams of lights to trace down from the gaps in the treetops onto the floor of the Quoi Woods. Flynn absentmindedly scanned the forest grounds. Under his arm was one of his knight's helmets, filled with a variety of herbs that he had collected and used as a reference to gather more. Finding another, he stooped to pick the plant and threw in into the helmet.

"…Maybe I shouldn't have tried to put such a… spin on that Udon Hot Pot," Flynn told himself. He hung his head in depression before continuing his search. "Its flavor shouldn't have turned out like that, but looking back, I should have known better…" he cringed as he thought what some of his soldiers and had to suffer through. The Commandant imagined the line that had formed outside the restrooms just as he left.

"Hopefully this will be enough," Flynn mused. The instant he knew he had caused his soldiers sickness, he was determined to bring them back to health. Estelle, who had the foreknowledge to kindly refuse the meal, was not affected. Some of their healers needed some herbs to rid the soldiers of their ailment, thankfully most of them could be found in the Quoi Woods. Flynn would gather the herbs, while Estelle looked after the soldiers. They would not be in pain, in fact most of them only had pain to begin with; but the rarer, more serious cases would have to deal with… bowel movement.

Now, strolling towards the clearing, he could faintly see Halure in the distance. The weak monsters could do nothing against the Commandant and had developed the wisdom to leave him be. With the lack of a disturbance, Flynn had ample time to think. After a considerable amount of time, a stroke of inspiration struck him, planting a wide smile on his face.

"It's so obvious! Like everything else, one must start with something less difficult and work his way up. So… Miso Soup? No, too easy. Minestrone, perhaps? Yes, that would work excellently!" He occupied himself with his thoughts, as Halure was just a few minutes away.

* * *

"Ugh, I think I can still smell it from here," the inn keeper muttered to himself before he let out a large sigh. That smell, no matter how subtle, had caused the other tenants to take their leave. He, however, was bound to the inn by the business hours.

"Oh, my, is this the only inn Halure has?" a feminine voice asked.

The innkeeper's head shot up, "Huh?" in the doorway stood a lady, about 25 years of age. She had dark purple hair that was tied up into two buns, and black eyes. She wore a trench coat, concealing her body completely. He could faintly see what appeared to be a black scarf around her neck but it was hidden under her coat.

"Oh yes, I severely apologize for that disgusting smell, a room is usually 200 gald a night but with that odor, I'd say 100 is fair," he explained.

She huffed in disappointment, "I guess it will have to do," she replied as she walked towards the counter to deposit the 100 gald. As she placed the money on the counter and reached for the keys he handed over, the innkeeper caught a whiff of her perfume. Its sweet scent had erased the foul smell. Pomegranate was the first thing that came to mind, but he could also smell lilac blended in and perhaps some of Halure's blossoms as well. A true breathe of fresh air.

"Thank you, sir, I'll deal with it somehow," she said before walking up the steps.

A sigh escaped the innkeeper's lips, "She shouldn't have to deal with this crap…" he chuckled lightly at his pun. Slowly he felt drowsiness spread from the back of his head to his eyes, making them heavy. The morning had been hectic, as only the pink haired noble Estelle, the Commandant, and himself had been well. Flynn had left to gather herbs and Estelle was healing the soldiers; 'to prevent their pain from being too much a disturbance,' he was informed. Throughout the morning, he had frequented the local store to gather orange gels so Estelle could keep up with the reoccurring aching.

Looking through the doorway, he noticed that of the few people outside, no one else looked as if they were going to be checking in any time soon. He took a seat, attempting to relieve the sudden heaviness of his skull. _"Not like anyone's coming in…"_ he thought to himself before folding his arms on the table and, on the platform they provided, rested his head. In a few minutes, he was in a comfortable slumber.

From atop the second floor, the new tenant threw the sleeping man a glance before approaching the three rooms on the right side of the second floor.

"It's worse up here. Well, I'm sure they wouldn't mind," she said to herself. Out of one pocket in her trench coat, she pulled a perfume vial of light red liquid and unscrewed the cap. Waking along the hall, she poured the vial's contents in front of the doorways. The pleasing aroma became the prevalent scent. Satisfied with herself, she strolled down to the first floor, towards the tables beside the receptionist desk, and took a seat at the one furthest back.

* * *

"Your Highness, you shouldn't strain yourself," Sodia pleaded. The Commandant's 2nd in command laid in one of the two beds in the room. In the other slept Witcher, who had a look of pain as if he was having a bad dream. Estelle sat across from them; a bright symbol surrounded her feet. A flash of light around Witcher appeared, easing the mage's expression.

The noblewoman shook her head. "Flynn will be back soon, until then allow me to heal you," she replied.

Sodia held her hand up in protest, "The Commandant would be displeased to hear that you were pushing yourself on his behalf. Allow yourself to—"

"Not until Flynn returns. You must rest," Estelle replied. Somewhere in her voice, Sodia could hear the noblewoman's decisiveness. After she had returned from her travels she had shown a maturity she previously did not have. Now she wished Estelle hadn't picked it up so well.

"Fine," she acquiesced, "But at least tend to the other soldiers as well."

Estelle nodded. "Already did, although there's not much I could do for some of them…" she trailed off. Sodia nodded her head understandingly.

"Your Highness, what do you suppose the Commandant used?" she asked, causing the noble to shrug. A few minutes of silence passed before Estelle noticed Sodia was asleep. Happy with her work, she exited the room, planning to take a short walk.

To her surprise, she was greeted with a pleasant fragrance. Estelle took in a deep breathe, "My, how delightful," she said to herself as she walked down to the first floor. She stumbled a bit, but caught herself, using the wall for support.

"Should be a little more careful," Estelle told herself as she approached the feet of the ramp. A yawn escaped her lips.

"I couldn't possible have exerted myself that much," she said to no one in particular. Her eyelids began to feel heavy, prompting her to slow down. Estelle reached up to touch her forehead, to support the growing weight she felt in her head. She felt drowsy, and in an attempt to rest, leaned against the wall. She slid down into a sitting position, falling asleep.

From the across the room, the purple haired lady watched the incident. A grin adorned her face as she approached the exit. She threw the princess a glance before leaving. Outside was deserted except for a group of 20 who stood in attention, all dressed in uniform black, gold-buttoned coats. Their pants were also black. A beige cloak covered only allowed one to see their uniform. The hood on the cloak concealed their head and a black shawl covered their face.

"They're out cold," she said, receiving a synchronized nod from the group. Shortly after, they scrambled out of sight like bugs. She donned her hood and pulled up a shawl from around her neck to hide her face. Immediately after she disappeared, just as her colleagues did.

* * *

The rush of the morning air sent a chill of excitement down Karol's spine as he looked off the side of the ship. The guildmaster had a huge grin, marveling at the wide expanse of ocean and land before them as they traveled south. It was not the first time seeing it, but it was still quite view from a couple thousand feet off the ground. Yuri was sitting down with his eyes closed while Judith stood beside him, staring off into the sky.

The swordsman cracked an eye open, "So what was it you were going to tell me?" he asked. Judith shook her head and then nodded towards Karol. In response, Yuri stood up and opened the door to the cabin. The Krityan walked in, followed by the raven-haired warrior.

With the door shut, Yuri turned to Judith, "Now what was it?" He noticed how she avoided eye contact by looking towards the floor.

He taunted her, "Shyness? Just talking to lil' old me?" he asked, questioningly pointing at himself. Judith shot him an angry glare but Yuri was unaffected by it.

She let out a sigh before replying, "I overheard Karol and Rita talking earlier," she began.

Yuri scratched his chin before returning his gaze to Judith, "Was this when you suddenly left?"

The Krityan nodded, "Yes, they were discussing…" she took a pause. "…Us."

Yuri raised his eyebrow questioningly, "Us?" he repeated.

"Yes, in a few words: they believe we are a couple," she explained as she uneasily looked away.

"Is that it?" Judith's head snapped up as his comment.

"Pardon?" she asked.

Yuri shrugged, "Is that it?" he asked again, "It's just what they think, right? It's not like you to get worked up over something like that," he continued.

Judith remained quiet, stunned. _"…Why did I…?"_ she thought to herself. Almost immediately, the swordsman noticed her detached expression as her gaze strayed to the floor.

"Judy?"

"_He's right, it shouldn't matter to me, but…"_ Absorbed in her own thoughts, she unconsciously placed her hand over her chest, in an attempt to stifle the tugging feeling in her heart that had returned.

"Hey, Judy, you okay?"

She ignored him as she attempted to piece together an explanation for herself,_ "For some reason… it mattered that someone else thought…"_ Slowly the tugging feeling amplified, like her heart was literally being stretched apart. It was not pain, however, which expanded along with it, but instead a feeling of nervous energy.

"Judith." It was so rare for him to call her by her complete name that she abruptly looked up. Yuri's face was a few inches away from hers, causing her cheeks to tint a light red. His voice had sounded so gentle. A feeling in her gut prodded her, adding to the flames of impulsiveness.

On the spur of the moment, Judith reached out and cupped both sides of Yuri's face.

"Huh?" he managed to say before the Krityan firmly planted her lips upon his.

An intoxicating bliss rushed through her body. It had not seemed out of place, quite the opposite, it felt right to her. She could feel her lips brush against his unusually soft ones, the sensation making her light headed. It would have been a paradise, but she noticed something. Something that replaced the nervousness in her heart with a painful ache.

He had not returned the kiss.

She pulled away in her despair, and stared at his blank expression. He looked bewildered, surprised, and incapable of responding to the unexpected show of affection. The grief became frustration. She violently pushed Yuri off then stormed out of the cabin. A second passed before the stunned swordsman shook himself awake.

Instantly, he realized the situation and ran after her, "Judy! Wait—" the door to the cabin shut on his face, hitting him in the forehead.

He leaned against the door and let out a sigh. With each word he lightly knocked his head against the door. "What. Just. Happened." Yuri asked to no one in particular as he replayed the last minute in his head. Mentally he was still debating whether or not what just happened was real. Sure they had grown closer than before but Yuri could not have predicted this. Judith was never affectionate, besides teasingly that is. Any time they had flirted, it was jokingly, he reminded himself.

But there was no joke this time.

There was no playful trading of words, or a temptation of eye-candy. It had been a conversation, nothing more. So how did it escalate to where he was now? The exchange had been short, surely he could find where it had all accelerated, he thought to himself. However, the only major thing he had asked of her was 'why did she care?'

"_Maybe because it wasn't __**only**__ the others who thought we should be—"_ Yuri shook his head at what seemed so unlikely, _"But she did just…"_ His head felt heavy with worry and his stomach was churning uneasily. Despite this, he couldn't help but feel a sense of elation in his chest.

"Tch, just when Judy's hurt? You're one bad guy, Yuri Lowell," he chuckled lightly but it quickly ceased. Judith _was_ hurt, and he didn't know why at that time he had a sense of happiness. Abruptly, the thought of her lips on his own flashed in his mind, and the notion of happiness slowly became prominent over his uneasiness. This was new for him, never before were his feelings skittish.

But regardless of how he felt, now he had Judith to tend to first. Slowly he opened the door and took a peak outside, half of him expecting Judith to be standing outside like nothing happened.

Instead he found Karol, who had a distressed look on his face. "H-Hey, Yuri, Judith suddenly rushed out and she isn't acting like herself. What happened?" he asked.

Yuri avoided the guildmaster's look as he brushed past him, "Just let me take care of it," he replied.

"Well, we're landing soon. I can see an island with a thinned out mountain range, so take care of it fast," said Karol.

"Is that an order?" Yuri joked.

Karol nodded in all seriousness, "Yeah, now get going."

"Yes, sir," Yuri saluted before walking around the cabin to the bow of the ship. He saw the Krityan standing at the very front. She faced away from him so he couldn't see her expression. Cautiously he approached her, still trying to piece together something to say.

"Judy—"

"Leave me alone, Yuri," she replied.

The swordsman was silent for a moment, "Judy, about what jus—"

"Forget it!" she nearly yelled.

Yuri recoiled at the sudden hostility. He let out a sigh, _"Don't force yourself, not to her,"_ he mentally told himself. "We're landing soon," he said aloud.

Her response was much quieter, "Alright," she had said.

At first he swordsman did not move, he just stood there, staring at the back of the Krityan's head. Sadness, caused by in his inability to help, haunted him, rooting him in the spot he stood on.

* * *

"_Is he still there?"_ Judith thought, unwilling to turn and check. Fearful that if she looked into those obsidian eyes she would breakdown and give into impulse, like she had in the cabin. She guessed she would have stuttered out an apology at the awkwardness of the new situation. That, however, wouldn't be true to the cool, composed person she was.

"_Neither was kissing him,"_ She almost let out an audible chuckle. It _had_ been foolish of her but it _had_ also felt right to her. _"If only he felt the same,"_ she brooded, her mood taking a downturn from the temporary uplift. The solitary sound the fading footsteps rang in her ear, just as it did back at the library. Regret filled her as she knew she couldn't call him back, not as she had previously done. No robust emotion could make her speak out. The shame of unrequited affection would hold her voice back and she knew it.

* * *

The Eastern Island of Ilyccia was a peculiar shaped piece of land. It was a large island, not unnatural at that, but what was intriguing was an inlet which connected one, large river to the sea. The river reached the center of the island, but it was not easily accessible. The land was raised so that the river ran between a deep canyon. The inland end of the river was sealed off completely to the rest of the land by a mountain range. From the sky, the group could see that the area, where the mountains had formed a U-shape, had noticeably thinned out.

Karol stood at the side of the boat, between his two silent guildmembers. Both of them stood motionless, and the guildmaster had noticed their odd behavior. For a moment, he hesitated to speak, unsure of what their conversation had been about.

"S-So apparently the landslide was just part of those mountains over there," Karol said as he pointed towards the island below them. The two did not audibly reply, just nodded.

"Meaning it's uninhabited," he further explained.

"You're saying we should turn back?" Yuri asked.

"Well, yeah"

"Fine with me. Judith?"

"If there's no point in staying then—" The Krityan stopped suddenly and reached for her ear. "Really? Up here?" she asked after a few seconds.

Karol looked questioningly towards Judith, "What'd Ba'ul say?"

"He's sensing an unusual buildup of aer in the mountains, but he says it's not like an aer krene," she explained.

"So we'll be landing, then," said Yuri. Judith nodded.

"Ba'ul can't land on mountains, so where would we?" Karol asked.

The Krityan's eye's scouted the mountains, "Ba'ul can lower us onto that plateau—it's close to where he's sensing the aer," she said, pointing in its direction. Ba'ul moved the ship in the direction of the small plateau and hovered over it.

* * *

Karol let out a large sigh of relief as he hugged the ground. "D-Did we really need to do that?" he asked.

Judith shrugged, "What do you expect? Ba'ul can't land on this small area, it must be only 25 feet across." She replied, standing a few feet from a slope that gradually spiraled down along the mountain.

"But did we really have to jump…?"

"It's only a 30 foot drop, Boss, just gotta roll when you land. See, we're fine," said Yuri, grinning. The swordsman sat on the opposite end of the plateau.

"Only 30 feet!?" Karol indignantly repeated.

"If we got any closer, the wind could have knocked the ship into the neighboring mountains," Judith explained. "Besides I enjoyed the rush," she added, smiling.

Yuri laughed, "I think Karol might've wanted a higher one."

"Well, it would be rude to deny our guildmaster's request," said Judith with a thoughtful look on her face.

The Karol sighed, "Like a match made in hell…" he whispered, but the two caught wind of what he said. The awkwardness descended upon them and the silence followed. Karol groaned. He had unwittingly ruined the normality that had started to return.

After a few seconds, Yuri stood up, "Let's check what we came here for," he said, strolling towards the slope. He brushed past the Krityan who eventually followed suit.

It had been a few minutes when they came to a 40 foot wide cave on their right. The path that would have continued down the mountain had been severed. To their left they could see the wide river which led back to the sea. The group looked down from where the path had stopped. It was a sheer cliff, but while looking down something else caught their eye. On another flat area on the mountain were huts which seemed so small from their high vantage point. More than half of the little village was covered with boulders. About 50 feet under them, they noticed the remains of a temple. A few pillars stood which lined the stone path that led towards the temple. The base remained strong but half of the roof had caved in. The boulders which had been responsible for the collapse were still visible from the debris.

"I thought this place was uninhabited," said Yuri.

"I didn't know people down there…" Karol replied.

"They've been here as well." The two turned to Judith who was examining the stub of what use to be a pillar. Yuri noticed a similar one opposite to Judith. Both stubs framed the entrance to the cave. The swordsman walked through the center, kicking the stones out of the way. He dragged his foot across the ground, sweeping away the dust. Red bricks were uncovered, matching the color of the two stubs.

"This was originally indoors…" Judith concluded.

"Huh?"

"Karol, unless this was a nice patio, I'd say this use to be indoors. Roof probably came off with that landslide," replied Yuri.

"I see," said Karol. He walked towards the cave, the inside completely black. Hesitating for a moment, he stuck his head in, attempting to get a better look.

Judith looked over, "Karol you should be more care—"

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" he yelled before he was sent flying in Yuri's direction. The swordsman jumped behind Karol, stopping him with one hand.

"What just happened?! Are you okay?!" Yuri asked. Karol had doubled-over, clenching his stomach. The swordsman could hear him wheeze, attempting to breathe. A drop of blood fell from Karol's mouth. Yuri discarded his sheathe and stuck his sword in the ground next to Karol.

"Guardian Field!" he yelled as a symbol formed under them, radiating light which healed Karol. The guildmaster sat up normally, still trying to catch his breath.

"Hey boss, I think you should sit this one out. We'll take care of it," Yuri received a nod from Karol. The swordsman stood up and walked next to Judith who had been standing between her guildmembers and the attacker.

"And who might you be?" asked Judith as she brandished her spear, Brionac.

Out of the darkness stepped a monk. He was bald and wore a light brown robe, tied with a black sash. His pants were black as well. His cuffs and the edges of his short robe were colored dark brown. The monk stood at about 5 feet and 5 inches. One would guess his age was mid-40. In his hand was a wooden staff which was only 5 inches shorter than himself.

"Trespassers in the holy land warrants death," he replied.

Judith charged towards him, "Act in the interest of the guild," she quoted. "Such as protecting our guildmaster. Apparently our rules clash," she thrust her spear towards the monk, who parried the strike using his staff. Judith quickly followed up with a kick to the head. The monk ducked under and kicked her other foot from under her. He brought down his staff to strike the falling combatant. A grin came across Judith's face as she disappeared, causing the staff to hit the floor.

"Moonbeam!" she yelled from above. The monk jumped back in time to avoid the blast.

"Azure Edge!" a bolt of blue energy struck the monk in the chest, sending him into the cave wall.

"Guild rules? You sure you just don't wanna fight?" Yuri joked. Judith huffed in annoyance as she landed.

"_Old habits die hard…"_ Yuri said to himself at the cold response.

"Blastia…?" said the monk stood up, "That makes things harder for both of us."

Yuri sighed, "Look, we didn't mean to trespass but if you're going to attack us—"

"—we're not going to hold anything back," Judith finished.

The monk nodded before charging at them.

* * *

A/N: Sorry about the long wait, but thanks for the reviews, it helps keep the inspiration alive.


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